


Say You'll Be My Nightingale

by Poorlittleklainer



Series: Klaine One Shots [14]
Category: Glee
Genre: AU, Arranged Marriage, Just two boys who can't stay away, M/M, Medieval Universe, knight!Blaine, prince!Kurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 19:53:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17494256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poorlittleklainer/pseuds/Poorlittleklainer
Summary: Prince Kurt has been engaged to Princess Rachel since the two of them were born. However, what should he do when he finds himself falling for the Princess's beautiful knight?





	Say You'll Be My Nightingale

 

The Kingdoms of Hummel and Berry have always been neighbors. However, throughout history, like all neighbors, they've had their differences. The last war between their kingdoms nearly killed both of their people, so the kings at the time decided that in order to save themselves, they would need an alliance. To document their alliance, they wrote up a treaty, and it was decreed that since both Princes were already married, the children of Prince Burt and Prince LeRoy would marry. And so, Prince Kurt and Princess Rachel were born, and they have been betrothed to each other ever since.

 

Kurt vaguely remembers Princess Rachel from their playdates when they were kids. However, when he turned ten, since he was the only child of King Burt, he had to start studying about history, about language, fighting, strategy. He had to begin learning how to be King in the future. So he and Rachel kept up their friendship through letters sent once a month. They were still friends, they kept each other up to date on the happenings of each other's lives, but they hadn't seen each other face to face in person since they were ten years old. 

 

Both of them were told from an early age that they would marry each other to cement the alliance between their kingdoms. However, ever since Kurt's father and Rachel's father's became King, the previous resentment towards each other's kingdoms mostly went away during their reign. Still, their grandfather's treaty remains, and in order to satisfy that treaty, Kurt and Rachel had to marry. Which, when Kurt turned thirteen and started realizing his own sexuality, he realized would turn into a huge problem. Because he wasn't attracted to Rachel, he wasn't attracted to girls in the slightest. 

 

The knights would always joke about women and their latest conquests in bed during their sparing, which Kurt was expected to participate in. He never told anybody, not even his father, that he didn't find any of the ladies of the court who threw themselves at the crown Prince (even though it was common knowledge he was going to marry Princess Rachel Berry) attractive in the slightest. He didn't tell Rachel in their monthly letters, it just seemed like the kind of thing you should tell somebody in person. Like, _hey, I know we have been engaged since birth to each other, but I'm gay. So, how are we going to do this?_

 

And telling his father was out of the question. It wasn't that Kurt was worried he'd take him being gay wrong. Well, okay, he was. But it was more about his fears regarding the reaction of his kingdom. Being gay wasn't necessarily forbidden in their land, Rachel's dads were both married and ruled over the Kingdom of Berry together, but it wasn't that common. There was always the underlying judgement. Kurt didn't have any problems with judgement, he took that on a daily basis being the Prince. Every single move he took was judged by his father, the court, the people, other kingdoms. But he knew, once he married Rachel, he would eventually rule not only one but two kingdoms. He needed all the help he could get, and being gay would probably not help that fact, especially in the beginning where they will undoubtedly get resistance from each kingdom about their monarchs being rulers from another kingdom. 

 

But nonetheless, no matter what his personal thoughts and feelings on the matter was, he still was expected to marry Rachel during  their twentieth year. So the summer Rachel would be turning 20, she rode over from her kingdom to Kurt's. The morning of, Kurt was in his daily training, sparing with Sir Finn, a kindhearted knight that befriended Kurt without any hesitance about him being the Prince. 

 

After their spar, Kurt left to his rooms to take a bath, washing the sweat and grime from his fighting off before Rachel was set to arrive. He had just finished getting dressed when he heard the knock on his door, and seconds later a steward was entering the room, bowing as Kurt turns to look at him. 

 

"King Burt has requested your presence in the courtyard. Princess Rachel and her party will be arriving soon," he says, leaving with another bow. Kurt sighs, he finishes lacing up the cuffs of his sleeves before following the steward out of his room, meeting with his father outside. 

 

"Prince Kurt," his dad nods his head as he sees him. Kurt tilts his head in response, smiling despite the necessary formality surrounded by the public. In private, the two of them drop all titles, so hearing them in public always causes just a little bit of initial shock. When it's just the two of them, it's not Prince Kurt and King Burt, it's just Kurt and Dad. 

 

"Father," Kurt replies. The two of them smile at each other again before facing forward, watching as the two carriages in the distance slowly get closer and bigger. They don't have to wait long until the two carriages stop. Kurt watches as the door of the second opens, and Rachel emerges. Rachel certainly wasn't the little girl of ten years old that would run around the castle with Kurt anymore. She definitely turned into a beautiful woman, smiling and thanking the servant who holds her hand as she steps down. Kurt watches as the court bows at Rachel, who smiles at them. She was dressed in a bright red and gold gown, not surprising as red and gold was the color of the Berry crest. 

 

Both Kurt and his father walk towards Rachel, and Kurt follows a step behind his dad as they head towards her. Kurt eyes the chests that the servants Rachel brought with her exit the first carriage, not surprised at the amount that she brought seeing as she was essentially moving in. 

 

"Welcome back, Princess Rachel," his dad says, stopping in front of her. Rachel curtsies, and smiles as he grabs her hand and kisses it. 

 

"It seems like just yesterday you and Prince Kurt here were causing chaos around the castle," he grins, causing Rachel to start laughing. Rachel turns to look at Kurt, and the two share a look at each other. 

 

"I don't know what you mean, Father. Princess Rachel and I were perfect children growing up," he retorts, causing his father to burst out in booming laughter. 

 

"That's all the luggage, milady," a sudden voice sounds from Kurt's left. Kurt turns to look, and his breath seems to stop in his chest. Walking up behind Rachel was one of the knights from her kingdom. He wore the typical armor of a knight, and on his chest plate was the coat of arms for Rachel's family, a red and gold shield, with a black horse rearing on it's hind legs. His black hair was long enough for it to be curly, and he had black stubble that revealed he hadn't been able to shave for a couple days. Unlike Kurt's smooth chin, he couldn't deal with stubble, and was lucky enough to be able to shave every day. 

 

"Thank you, Blaine. May I introduce King Burt, and his son, Prince Kurt," Rachel turns back towards both my father and me, and I watch, practically mesmerized as the knight, Blaine, bows first to my father, and then me. 

 

And he swears it's his imagination when Blaine's gaze lingers on him just a bit longer than necessary, before turning back towards Rachel. 

 

"Blaine is my personal guard. Nothing against your knights, King Burt. I'm sure that they are amazing, it's just I've grown quite attached to Blaine. He's more like a friend than a guard, and I couldn't bear to part with him yet," Rachel quickly explains her reasoning of bringing a knight from her kingdom with her. Kurt watches his dad shrug off Rachel's explanation, giving her an easy smile. 

 

"It's no problem. Now, I'm sure you are tired from the journey, I'll let you get settled in. Prince Kurt, would you show Sir Blaine to the knight's barracks? Give him a bed, and you are welcome to join in on the tournament this weekend," his father tells the knight. 

 

"Tournament?" Rachel asks. 

 

"In honor of your arrival, our knights, as well as Prince Kurt here, will compete in a joust. Sir Blaine, should you wish, you are welcome to participate. Once the tournament is over, there will be a feast with all the knights, which you are again welcome to participate in," Kurt watches Blaine glance over at him at his father's mention, and Blaine smiles, looking quickly back at his father. 

 

"It would be my honor," he says, and Kurt looks back over at his father when he reaches for Rachel's hand again. 

 

"Come with me, Princess Rachel," he says, and the two of them walk, with Rachel's arm wrapped around his as they head inside. Once the King leaves, that signals to the court members gathered outside that they could leave. They quickly scatter, and Kurt turns to look at Blaine. 

 

"Well, Sir Blaine, if you follow me, I'll take you to the knight's barracks," Kurt tells him. Blaine smiles widely, grabbing a sack that must have been his belongings before turning back to Kurt. 

 

"Lead the way, Prince Kurt," he says. Kurt smiles, and the two start walking down the dirt path towards the large building that houses the knights who weren't married. 

 

"The knights and I generally train in the morning, if you'd like I'm sure you can join in. Unless you have duties with Princess Rachel of course," Kurt explains, glancing over at Blaine and trying not to make it plainly obvious that he finds him incredibly attractive. 

 

"I'm sure Rachel wouldn't mind me not showing up until midday," Kurt is surprised at the lack of title from the knight. Rachel and him were friends, and were going to marry each other, and it still took them a long time until they finally dropped the titles when they referenced each other. 

 

"Of course. And as you know, the tournament will be this weekend. It's just the knights in the kingdom, plus me, plus you now," Kurt states. 

 

"I look forwards to it," Blaine says. Kurt wants to say more, but they've arrived at the barracks, and two of the knights, Sir Puckerman and Sir Mike, exit loudly. They see Kurt and Blaine, and after a short greeting to Kurt, inquire about Blaine. 

 

"This is Sir Blaine, he's a knight from the Kingdom of Berry. I figured it wouldn't be any problem to let him stay here," Kurt tells them. Both the other knights shake hands with Blaine, and Kurt asks them to help Blaine get his bearings so he could return to his duties, which they quickly agree. Kurt bids the three knights farewell, and turns to head back to the castle. 

 

He walks through the hallways towards his rooms, and try as he might, he was unable to keep his thoughts from straying to the knight Rachel brought with her. It wasn't like Kurt was unused to being around handsome men. The knights he trained with daily weren't bad to look at, and sometimes during training they would even occasionally take off their shirts when it would get too hot. Kurt tried not to look, but hey, he was a warm-blooded male surrounded by well muscled shirtless men. But for some reason, Blaine was stuck in his brain. His smile was one of the most beautiful smiles he's ever seen, genuine and easy. His hair stuck up all over the place, curls that Kurt couldn't help but wondered what they would look like in the morning after waking. Like some of the knights, Blaine kept up a bit of scruff, keeping with the rugged look his curls seemed to inspire. 

 

Kurt is turning the corner, and very nearly runs straight into Rachel. They both jump back in surprise, and Kurt stops, looking at Rachel. Gone was the little ten year old girl he used to run around the castle with. Instead, she's become a beautiful woman. Her long brown hair contrasted beautifully with the red and gold gown she wore. She was short, much shorter than Kurt, and slender. Any man would be lucky to marry her, she was a beautiful woman after all. But while Kurt could recognize that she was beautiful, he felt absolutely no attraction to the woman he is supposed to marry. 

 

"Kurt! Sorry, I didn't see you," Rachel states, looking at him. Kurt wonders if she's thinking the same that he is, thinking back to the ten year old boy he used to be. Because he's definitely changed as well. The old chubby cheeks that stubbornly refused to leave until recently has disappeared, and as a result from constant training, his shoulders are much broader, his muscles much more defined. He looked the part of a prince, and Kurt wonders how he's going to let her know he will be unable to ever love her like she deserves. 

 

"No worries, Rachel. I didn't see you either," Kurt tells her. Rachel smiles, and she glances around the hallway they currently were standing in. 

 

"The castle seems so different now," she says. Kurt smiles, looking around the halls and trying to put himself in the mindset she would be in, someone returning to a place they haven't been in nearly ten years. 

 

"Not so much. It's mainly us that's different," Kurt replies. Rachel looks up at Kurt, and he's momentarily struck by how awkward this is. When they were younger, there was no pressure of their impending marriage. They were just two kids, with all the time in the world. Now, they were adults, knowing that they would marry each other sooner rather than later. 

 

"I was just walking around the castle, would you like to join me?" Rachel asks. Kurt thinks for a second, knowing that his father is expecting him to get along with Rachel. He figures he would understand him being late to their afternoon meeting. 

 

After walking inside the castle, pointing out some of their favorite rooms to hide in when they escaped their nannies, some of their not-so-secret hiding spots, the two of them walked outside. Kurt took her through a walk of the gardens, one of his favorite places to go to be alone. There were some nobles and other members of the court wandering around outside, and Kurt was well aware of the fact that they were staring. However, seeing as both of them are used to being stared at, they wordlessly agree to ignore them. 

 

"Oh, is that the spot we'd sneak out to?" Rachel suddenly points towards a spot on the top of the hill in front of them, where there was a large cluster of trees. 

 

"Yeah, come on," he and Rachel quickly walk towards the trees, and even though it's been ten years since the last time he's come out here, he remembers exactly where he's going. They quickly reach their favorite tree, one with many limbs so it was extremely easy to climb when they were little. Without another word, Rachel starts climbing up the tree, in her dress and everything. 

 

"Rachel! Oh my god please don't fall off," Kurt exclaims. Rachel looks down from her spot in the air. 

 

"Please, we did this all the time when we were little," she says, and she continues climbing. Kurt looks around, figuring he had no way out of this, and started climbing up after her. They eventually get to their spot, Kurt recognizes it immediately. The leaves covered them from view from the ground, but they had the most incredible view of the entire castle grounds. Kurt looks out, seeing the gardens they just walked in, the pathways leading back up to the castle. And down the opposite side of the hill, Kurt can clearly see the knights riding their horses. 

 

"Oh look, there's the knights!" Rachel points out, and Kurt turns to look at her. She's laying against the trunk of the tree, her legs spread out comfortably on the thick branch. As she turned back towards Kurt, he tries to make himself see Rachel in some kind of romantic light. He sighs loudly when he's unsuccessful, which makes her look at him curiously. 

 

"What's wrong, Kurt?" She asks. 

 

"I need to tell you something, Rachel," Kurt replies, looking off into the distance at the knights, unable to look her in the eyes. 

 

"Anything, Kurt," she whispers. He sighs, turning back towards her. 

 

"I know we're supposed to get married and solidify the alliance between our kingdoms when you turn twenty, but..." he trails off, but Rachel supplies the rest. 

 

"You don't want to marry me, do you?" She asks. Kurt nods, continuing his explanation. 

 

"No, I don't. You're a beautiful woman, Rachel, and any guy would be lucky to marry you. But I don't want a wife... because I'm gay," whatever Rachel expected Kurt to say, it definitely wasn't that. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and she takes several moments before she continues to speak. 

 

"Wow, I did not expect that to be the reason," she laughs, "well, I obviously have no issues with it. Have you told your dad yet?" 

 

"No, I can't," he quickly shakes his head. 

 

"Why not? You can't think that your father would have any problems with you being gay, would you?" She asks. 

 

"I know that my dad wouldn't have a problem, I think. But King Burt probably would, the people of my kingdom probably would. We've been engaged to each other since we were born, Rachel, all to make sure the war that happened between our kingdoms never happen again. I have to think about what's best for my kingdom, for my people, and the truth is what's best for them is if I marry you, personal feelings be damned," he explains. Rachel sighs, looking back out at the view. The sun is setting quicker than it seems normal, but neither of them move to climb down the tree. 

 

"I hate that you're right, Kurt. If we were just two regular people, all this wouldn't matter. You could just tell your father the truth and we'd be on our separate ways," Rachel whispers. Kurt sighs, and the two of them spent the next several minutes in silence, both of them looking out over the castle grounds getting darker and darker with the setting sun. Eventually, it will get to be too dark to see, so Kurt turns to Rachel and tells her that they should get back before people get worried about where they ran off to. 

 

He walks Rachel back towards her rooms, bidding her goodbye and that they will see each other again at the tournament that weekend. Kurt heads back towards his rooms, where he changes and falls asleep quickly. 

 

The next morning, he heads down to the training grounds like he's always done. He gets there, and immediately is welcomed by all the knights, and they start their training. They begin with sword fighting, but eventually, Kurt moves onto archery practice. He lets the rest of the knights continue doing whatever they want to, which was how they started their own little game. 

 

Kurt stood to the side, shooting arrows at the target set up in front of him, when he noticed it. Blaine was standing to the side of the knights, his shirt discarded along with nearly all the other knights, sweat dripping off his body. Not only that, but he was staring at Kurt. 

 

They meet each other's gaze, and immediately both of them look away, and Kurt feels himself blush dark red. He turns back to the target, grabbing an arrow and trying to calm his mind enough to focus on the dummy in front of him. He thinks that he feels Blaine's gaze on him, but it probably is his own imagination. He lets his arrow fly, and is surprised when it actually thuds against the dummy's chest instead of missing completely, with how much he's distracted. He walks towards the dummy to retrieve his arrows, forcing himself not to look behind him to where Blaine is standing. 

 

However, once he's walking back to his spot, he's unable not to glance over. Blaine is no longer standing in his same spot, instead, he's in the center of the ring of knights, fighting Sir Finn. Kurt can't help but watch the fight curiously, watching as both of them wield their wooden swords, circling one another. Finn is much taller and larger than Blaine, but despite being smaller, Blaine looks just as physically strong as Finn. Kurt can't help but blush as his gaze travels down Blaine's body, eyeing the well defined muscles clearly on display under the mid-morning sun. His skin was a dark olive, vastly different from Kurt's paleness that never got darker no matter how long he stood in the sun. 

 

Finn suddenly strikes at Blaine, who easily step sides his attack and turns on Finn, whacking him with the wooden sword several times before avoiding another attack of Finn's. Kurt watches as Blaine masterfully battles with Finn, who was one of their best knights. Blaine strategy becomes obvious quickly to Kurt, he lets Finn keep coming at him, swinging hard and heavy, while step siding him and making Finn chase him, tiring Finn out. Eventually, once it's clear that Finn is slowing from fatigue, Blaine steps in and finishes the fight off. He disarms Finn quicker than Kurt can follow, ending up with Finn's sword lying on the ground useless far away from the two with Blaine's sword pointing at Finn's neck. A couple seconds pass before Blaine lowers his sword and he's shaking hands with Finn, accepting congratulations from the other knights. 

 

Before he can think about it, Kurt strides over towards the group, grabbing one of his own practice swords. The knights see Kurt approaching, and turn to look at him. Kurt smiles, swinging his sword in his hand easily. 

 

"Well done, Sir Blaine. I wonder how you'd fare against me?" He grins, watching Blaine's nod, and the knights cheer and gather in another circle. Kurt lowers himself into his battle stance, seeing Blaine do the same opposite of him. One of the knights yells out for them to begin, and both of them move in a circle, eyeing the other. 

 

Kurt leaps forwards, attacking first. Blaine fends off his blows, but Kurt attacks fast, so that Blaine's unable to try and attack. Kurt continues to attack, causing Blaine to take several steps back as he continues to defend. Then, Blaine suddenly manages to turn the flow, and he starts attacking while Kurt defends. Blaine is strong, much stronger than he looks, and perhaps stronger than Kurt. But Kurt's agile, and he manages to escape Blaine's powerful attack. The two of them grin at each other for a second, before it's replaced by determination as they attack each other at the same time. 

 

Kurt doesn't remember fighting with somebody as skilled all around as Blaine before. All of the knights have their specific skills they are better at, but Kurt can't figure out if Blaine's better at any one thing over another. And he's not mediocre in any of it either, he's mastered everything. 

 

And then suddenly his sword isn't even in his hand anymore. Kurt looks down the sword point now resting against his neck, breathing heavily as is Blaine. He turns to eye his own sword lying on the ground, and back at Blaine. He's lowering his sword to the ground, suddenly his eyes go wide as he realizes that he's just held a sword point to the Prince's throat. Granted it was only a wooden sword, useless for another more harmful than some small bruises, but he seems close to dropping to his knees in apology. 

 

"Prince Kurt, I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

 

"How did you do that?" Kurt asks, astonished. Blaine looks at him confused as Kurt continues. "One minute my sword is in my hand, and the next it's on the ground. I didn't even see you disarming me," he states. Blaine seems to realize that he's not upset, and even blushes at Kurt's praise. 

 

"It's just something my brother taught me before I became a knight," Blaine says. Kurt grabs his sword off the ground, aware that the knights are watching in surprise. Kurt thinks that they probably expected him to be upset at getting beaten, especially by a knight that's not even a part of his kingdom. But Kurt's always been more skilled in diplomacy than the sword, and he's insanely curious about this new skill Blaine can offer. 

 

"Can you teach me?" Kurt asks. Blaine stands there, his mouth gaped open in surprise. Which, Kurt figures, is probably justified. He's met other Princes, knows that he's much different than they are. Most of them have grown up knowing that everything they want will just get handed to them, they figure that just because they have a title means they get to act however they wish. But even though Kurt grew up with the same title as them, his father taught him humility. He taught him how lucky he was that he had everything he might wish. He taught him empathy, made him think about how his actions would impact his people. And so Kurt felt no shame in admitting that Blaine was better than him, that he was the better swordsman. Instead, he was eager to learn from whoever could teach him, even if it was from somebody of lower rank. 

 

"I, uh, yeah. I can teach you," Blaine says. And Kurt grins, leading the two of them out of the circle of knights, letting them go back to their own battles while Kurt and Blaine take up their own spot towards the side of their training grounds. 

 

"So you said your brother taught you this move?" Kurt asks. 

 

"Yeah, before I left to become a knight," Blaine confirms, and then he begins teaching Kurt the move slowly, teaching him how to set up his opponent so that when he moves his wrist like _that_ his sword will fly out of his hand. 

 

"What did you do before you became a knight?" Kurt asks, curious. Blaine picks up Kurt's sword and hands it back to him. 

 

"My father owns a small piece of land near the border. We helped the servants, and during that time, my brother and I were taught to fight by one of the servants we had. Eventually I went to the castle with my brother during the war with the Smythes, like all boys did. I became a knight after the war," Blaine explains, and Kurt tries the move out next. He manages to knock Blaine's sword out of his hand, and Kurt can't help but smile pridefully.  

 

"I remember that, Rachel told me about how the war was going. How did you become Rachel's personal guard?" Kurt asks. Blaine smiles at his question.

 

"There was an assassination attempt on her," at this he stops cold. Blaine is unable to stop his next blow, and he hits his arm hard, but the sting is nothing. 

 

"Prince Kurt! I'm so sorry," he quickly apologizes, but Kurt focus is  on the assassination attempt that she's never told him about. 

 

"She didn't tell me someone tried to kill her. Was it someone from the Smythe's kingdom?" Kurt ask. Blaine nods. 

 

"Yes, it was. I saw him sneaking around the castle, about to enter Rachel's rooms. He struck down her personal guards quickly, and before he could enter I fought him off. Ever since then, the Kings assigned me to protect her. Luckily, we grew closer and became friends," he states. 

 

"When you say you grew close?" Kurt trails off, unable to stop himself from thinking about what might have occurred between Rachel and this handsome knight. Blaine blushes, knowing where Kurt's thoughts trailed too. 

 

"I promise, nothing like that, Prince Kurt. I know she's betrothed to you, and even if she wasn't I don't like women like that," he quickly reassures Kurt, or at least, tries to. Because after his confession, Kurt can't help but feel like someone kicked him in the gut. This guy, this extremely handsome knight, didn't like women. Just like Kurt. 

 

"Oh, I see," Kurt says stupidly, blushing himself. Blaine himself blushes, looks down at the ground momentarily as he realizes that he's just confessed something personal that he had no idea about how Kurt might respond to it. And even though a strong part of Kurt wants to reassure him, to say that he gay like him, he can't. He can't bring himself to admit that fact because he can't let himself do anything that might jeopardize marrying Rachel in the future. 

 

The two of them go back to practicing, and Kurt notices how Blaine keeps himself at a slight distance from Kurt that he hadn't done before his confession. And even though Kurt wants to let him know that it's okay, he doesn't have to change anything about how he acts around Kurt, he's grateful for the space himself. Because it makes it easier to remind himself that even though he now knows his attraction to Blaine could potentially be reciprocated, it just makes the realization that nothing could ever happen that much more painful. 

 

Eventually, Blaine announces that Kurt's gotten the move down by now, and they part ways. Kurt heads back to the castle to take a bath, washing off the sweat from his training, and in the bath he can't stop thinking about Blaine. The beautiful knight who he needs to stop thinking about. But he can't stop, no matter how much he tries his thoughts trail back to Blaine, and before he knows it the water has grown cold and he needs to get out. He dresses quickly, walking towards the throne room where his father sits, talking with various members of the court. He stands to the side like he normally does, listening to his father as he discusses various happenings throughout the kingdom, inputting his opinion only when his father asks him to. 

 

That night at dinner, he eats in his own room, trying to avoid the knights because he knows Blaine will most likely be there. He's already seen how comfortable the knights are around Blaine, so there's no doubt that they will invite Blaine to sit with them during dinner. 

 

He spends the several days until the tournament trying to avoid looking at Blaine during their training. It was impossible. It seemed that Blaine was just like a magnet for his eyes because Kurt would be talking one minute and staring at Blaine the next. Whenever their gazes would connect, both of them would quickly look away, blushing. Kurt spends the next several days in a near constant worry that somebody will see this, that someone will point out how Kurt can't seem to stop staring at Blaine. 

 

The weekend comes quickly, however, and the morning of Kurt follows his father down to the castle grounds. There, a long jousting runway has been marked off by rope. Stands were brought in and built for the spectators, and towards the side, tents were pitched up for the knights to rest in. Kurt bids his father goodbye, letting him walk towards his own seat set up in the middle of the stands, and he wanders towards the tent that would be his. A servant is already inside, who immediately bows when Kurt enters. 

 

"My lord," he states. 

 

"You don't need to bow," Kurt tells the boy. The boy looks down at the ground, embarrassed, so Kurt changes the subject and asks him to help with his armor. The boy quickly grabs the armor that had been brought out, helping Kurt adjust straps and buckles until he's fully dressed. Now, he stood wearing silver armor, with his family's coat of arms on the front of his breastplate. It was similar to Rachel's, a shield with alternating black and red sections. But instead of a horse, his family's animal was a huge silver bear. He let the servant clip on a black cape, which again bore his crest, and just as the cape was put on, a horn sounds announcing the start of the tournament. 

 

Outside his tent, Kurt's horse was brought over by the stablehands. He thanks the boy who brought his horse, and gently strokes his dark brown mane before mounting him. He walks towards the stands, knowing the knights are following behind on their own horses. He stops in front of the stands, facing his father, who stands once all the knights have lined up next to Kurt. Once his father stands, the noise from the stands dies down. 

 

"Welcome, knights, to a competition of bravery. You will compete for honor and for valor. The rules are simple, the first to fall loses. I wish you all good luck. May the tournament begin!" His father announces, and the stands erupt in cheers. Kurt watches his father sit back down, and he turns to talk to Rachel, who sits directly to his right. 

 

Kurt steers his horse to the side, dismounting once he reaches his tent again. He would not be competing until the fourth joust, against Mike. So Kurt watches the first few competitions until it's his turn to joust. He mounts his horse again, walking to his lane and lowering the visor on his helmet. He accepts the lance handed to him, and eyes Mike at the other end of the runway. The horn sounds to begin, and Kurt and Mike run at each other. Kurt lowers his lance, avoiding the hit from Mike but hitting him. Mike doesn't fall, and so they run at each other again. 

 

This time, Kurt manages to knock Mike off his horse, and the crowd cheers as he hands his lance to another servant, taking off his helmet and nodding to his father. Rachel claps for Kurt, and he nods to her as well, knowing it would be expected. 

 

Kurt dismounts once again, turning towards the next competitors. Kurt can't see their faces, but he knows that Blaine is competing based off the coat of arms on his back, the only one that's different seeing as it's Rachel's family's and not Kurt's. Blaine ends up winning his joust, and the crowd cheers as well. Kurt watches Rachel clap excitedly for Blaine, which isn't a surprise. However, he does notice some second glances at Rachel, curious spectators no doubt wondering why Rachel would be more excited for a man that wasn't her betrothed. Kurt pays no attention to them, knowing that there was nothing between Rachel and Blaine. But he can't help but think about it, knowing that there was a possibility of rumors, and rumors were just as dangerous as truth when it came to proving themselves. He knows the people need to be on board with their marriage just as much as his and Rachel's fathers. Again, Kurt can't help but think about his future, a future that would be filled with pretending to be in love with his wife when he was anything but. 

 

His thoughts are interrupted by Blaine walking back. Kurt turns to see him dismounting and standing in front of the tent opposite of him. He watches as Blaine talks with one of his servants, laughing. He brushes his sweaty curls back with one hand, and Kurt can't turn away even when Blaine looks across to find Kurt watching him. Instead of turning away with a blush, Kurt smiles and walks over towards him. 

 

"Nice job, Sir Blaine," Kurt says as he approaches. 

 

"Thank you, Prince Kurt," Blaine responds. 

 

"You know, you can just call me Kurt. All the knights do," Kurt tells him. Blaine smiles widely at Kurt, and he can't help the swoop in his stomach as he does so. 

 

"And you can just call me Blaine, Kurt," Blaine states, emphasizing the lack of title. Kurt laughs, watching Blaine chuckle along. 

 

"Touché, Blaine," Kurt replies, emphasizing just like Blaine. Blaine grins, and Kurt hears the sound of the horn, signaling that his next joust was about to happen. Kurt sees his horse being walked towards him, and turns back to Blaine. 

 

"Wish me luck," he grins, mounting his horse and accepting his helmet. He turns to Blaine one last time, who tells him good luck. Kurt walks towards the runway once more, accepting his lance and charging. 

 

Both Kurt and Blaine joust well, eliminating knight after knight until it's just the two of them in the finals. Kurt grins as he watches Blaine mount his horse opposite him. The two of them walk side by side together. 

 

"It seems a rematch is in order," Kurt grins, referring to their fight earlier that week. Blaine laughs, the two of them stopping before Kurt's father announces the final. 

 

"May the best man win," Blaine states. 

 

"I will," Kurt grins as he walks forward, hearing the roar of the crowd. He glances behind at Blaine, who follows with an identical grin. He turns back to his father, as he begins announcing the two of them. 

 

"Congratulation on making the final round, knights. In blue will be Sir Blaine, knight of the Kingdom Berry. And in red, Crown Prince Kurt. Jousters, to your corners," his father announces, and Kurt turns and walks down the runway towards his corner, which Blaine does the same. Kurt puts his helmet on, and reaches down for the red lance. He looks over at Blaine far away, who's grabbing his blue lance. The two of them wait, until the horn sounds. Kurt quickly kicks his horse, and he speeds down the runway towards Blaine, who's sprinting towards him. The two of them manage to avoid each other's hits, and Kurt hears the spectators cry out as he slows down. He turns around, and the two of them run at each other again. Kurt feels Blaine's lance hit him, can feel the force propelling him to fall off, and he barely manages to stay on. Blaine however, is not so lucky. Kurt feels his lance make contact with Blaine, and hears as he falls to the ground. Kurt hears the crowd cheer, and he slows down towards the end of the runways. He hands off his lance and turns towards Blaine, who's getting off the ground. He stands there, applauding with the crowd as Kurt takes off his helmet. His father claps along with the crowd, grinning at Kurt with pride. 

 

Kurt accepts the applause, and walks towards his own tent. He is helped out of his armor, and Kurt takes off his sweat soaked shirt, reaching his fingers to his side where Blaine's lance made contact with him, feeling the bruise already forming. 

 

"Congratulations, Kurt," Kurt looks up as Blaine himself enters his tent. He feels himself fight off a blush as Kurt watches Blaine's eyes momentarily drop to his chest, before returning to his face. However, Blaine's gaze follows where Kurt's hand still holds his side. 

 

"Are you alright?" Blaine asks, taking as step closer. He stops quickly after, and Kurt pretends not to notice how Blaine's hand reached out as if he was going to touch him before he stopped himself. 

 

"I should be asking you that," Kurt says as he reaches for a fresh shirt. He puts the shirt on, wincing as the movement pulls at his sore muscles. "You're the one who fell off his horse. I know from experience how much that hurts." 

 

"I'll be sore for a bit, that's for sure," Blaine shrugs, and Kurt smiles as he stands in front of him. 

 

"Are you coming to the feast tonight?" Kurt asks. Blaine nods, and Kurt feels happiness bubble in his stomach at the knowledge that Blaine will be there. Obviously not with him, but he'll be able to talk to Blaine without it being weird. 

 

"I look forward to it," Blaine grins, and his tent is being entered again by his father. His dad looks shocked at Blaine standing there, and Kurt blushes even though nothing was happening. 

 

"Hello, Father," Kurt reverts to his formal title for his dad that always comes up when anybody else is in the room. 

 

"Hello, Son. That was a good tournament, Sir Blaine. You are a skilled jouster," his dad compliments Blaine, who smiles gratefully at the praise from a king. 

 

"Thank you, King Burt. But obviously not as skilled as Prince Kurt," Blaine glances back towards Kurt with a smile. 

 

"Maybe not in joust, but you are the better swordsman," Kurt states, watching as Blaine chuckles at the mention of their fight. His dad looks between them with a curious look, but before he can ask anything, a servant walks into the tent and sees Blaine. 

 

"Sir Blaine, Princess Rachel is looking for you," the servant states. 

 

"She probably wants to compliment you on your joust. She informed me she was impressed at your improvement since your last joust when we were talking," his father says. 

 

"That, and we haven't gotten much of a chance to talk since we arrived here. King Burt, Prince Kurt, I look forward to seeing both of you at the feast," Blaine nods at both of them before following the servant out of Kurt's tent. His father turns towards him with a raised eyebrow. 

 

"You two seem to be getting along," his father remarks. Kurt feels a twinge of fear in his gut when his father gives him that curious look, as if he's trying to figure out what was happening between the two of them. 

 

"He's cool, we're friends," Kurt explains. His father is silent for a couple moments, but mercifully lets it go. 

 

"You were pretty good out there, kid," he says. Kurt smiles, feeling pride at his father's compliment. 

 

"Thanks, Dad. I remembered the tip you gave me about how to hold the lance," Kurt grins, watching as his father laughs. 

 

"You were fifteen when I told you that. I'm sure you've learned more than that," he says. He nods his head towards the opening in the tent, and the two of them start walking back towards the castle. 

 

"Hey, I'm giving you credit, you should take it," Kurt replies, laughing along with his father. The two of them walk quickly towards the castle, and Kurt tells his father he will see him at the feast later tonight. The two part ways, and Kurt heads towards his rooms, looking forwards to soaking in a hot bath for as long as possible. He already feels the bruises from the hits he took, can feel his muscles tightening with soreness. 

 

His bath is practically steaming, but as Kurt lowers himself into the tub he lets out a blissful moan. The hot water feels so good and he practically melts into the tub. He closes his eyes, wanting nothing more than to just stay there forever. But he has to get out sooner than he'd like if he was going to be on time for the feast, so he gets out and changes into the clothes laid out for him. 

 

He wasn't wearing his armor, but he was wearing his chainmail. Around his shoulders was the same black cape sporting his crest. On his hip his sword lay sheathed. It was what he wore to bigger feasts like this, where there would be more nobles and members of the court than the simple dinners where he could dress down with his father. 

 

Kurt headed towards the throne room, and when he arrived Rachel was getting there at the same time. She was dressed in a beautiful dark forest green and gold dress. She had a gold headband in her hair, pushing her hair back and framing her face. Kurt smiles as he sees her walking towards him, holding his arm out for her to grab. 

 

"Milady," Kurt drawls, causing Rachel to laugh. He chuckles with her as the page announces their names, entering the room to bows. Rachel grins as Kurt and her walk towards his father, who already sits in his throne. Kurt eyes across the room, where the knights are all sitting in similar attire as him. Which makes Blaine all that more easier to spot as he was the only one wearing a red cape instead of black like the rest of the knights. 

 

As if his gaze was magnetic, Blaine turns from his spot across the room to see Kurt staring at him. Blaine smiles at him, which causes his stomach to flutter with the familiar butterflies as he smiles back. Kurt looks away with a slight blush, a fact that doesn't go unnoticed by Rachel sitting next to him. 

 

"You and Blaine?" She asks, looking completely shocked. She looks over at her knight with that same shocked look, and Kurt is extremely thankful that Blaine was engrossed in a conversation with Mike that he doesn't see Rachel's shocked look. 

 

"Could you be any more obvious," Kurt hisses, "besides, nothing can happen, _remember,_ " he stresses. Rachel looks back at him, her curious look directed at him. 

 

"You know he's gay too, right?" Rachel whispers. Kurt glares at her, looking around briefly to make sure that nobody is watching them. He leans in, just in case anybody could be listening. 

 

"That's why nothing can happen, Rachel. I'm going to be marrying you, I can't let anything or _anybody_ keep me from forgetting that," he tells her. 

 

"Wait, I'm confused. You do realize I don't care, I know you can't ever love me like that. And Kurt I want you to find somebody who you can love and I know Blaine would be an amazing partner for you," she says. 

 

"You're forgetting, Rachel, we can't just think for ourselves. I have to remember about my kingdom, who will eventually be our kingdom. Our marriage has to be strong for our people to coexist together, and me having a lover wouldn't help us rule. People of our status have to sacrifice many things in our lives, and it sucks, but sometimes love is one of those sacrifices," Kurt sighs, reaching for the wine in front of him and taking a long swing from it. He swallows past the sweet liquid, taking another sip. He forces himself to avoid looking at Blaine, and instead focuses on his father, who's currently telling a story from one of his battles Kurt's heard a thousand times before. 

 

But he can't keep himself from imagining what might happen between him and Blaine if he wasn't engaged to Rachel. He can't help think that Blaine might be open to being with Kurt. He imagines his father finally knowing about his sexuality, letting him be open with Blaine. He imagines being with Blaine in every sense of the word, he imagines finally being able to run his hand over those strong muscles he's seen in training-- 

 

Crap, he needs more wine. Which probably doesn't help his current situation but he needs something to try and keep himself from imagining Blaine in less than public scenarios. 

 

Kurt feels himself getting a very decent buzz off the wine, feeling his problems diminish as the alcohol runs through his blood. He manages to stop thinking about Blaine for the most part, keeping his eyes on his father and Rachel. The food is amazing, the kitchen has clearly outdone itself tonight. By the time the feast is finished, Kurt feels himself happy off the wine. 

 

He says goodbye to Rachel, wandering to his own rooms just slightly drunk. He knows he's drunk, but the wine is keeping him from overthinking and right now overthinking was going to be the death of him. As long as he got back to his rooms, he knew he would be fine. 

 

"Kurt! That feast was amazing," Blaine's voice sounds from behind him. Kurt turns around, watching Blaine walking quicker towards him. Crap, he shouldn't be around Blaine in his inhibited state. Because as he gets closer all Kurt can think about is inviting him into his rooms and he really can't do that because he _can't._  He can't like this boy because he's not allowed to. He's supposed to like Rachel and why can't he just be straight like all the other knights? All the other knights except Blaine, because Blaine the one boy he could have but he _can't._

 

"You okay?" Blaine asks because Kurt hasn't said anything. Blaine smiles as he looks over Kurt's flushed cheeks, and he tilts his head back and starts laughing. 

 

"How drunk are you right now?" Blaine laughs, and Kurt looks away from the exposed skin of his throat that all he can think about right now is kissing. 

 

"Just a little," Kurt mumbles, and Blaine laughs again at his response. He stumbles forward, trying to get to his rooms and out of Blaine's sight because the longer he stands here the longer he wants to just pull Blaine against that wall and kiss the living crap out of him, and he might be drunk but no amount of alcohol will make him forget that he can't do that. 

 

"Whoa, let me walk you to your rooms," Blaine grins. 

 

"I'm not that drunk," Kurt complains, but Blaine is already gently walking Kurt towards his rooms, and if he was sober, Kurt would wonder how Blaine knew where his bedroom was. But he's too drunk to think about that, because he knows he's considerably drunker than he's trying to pass it off as. Blaine laughs as Kurt stumbles against him, and his arm automatically wraps around him in an effort to stabilize him, but that just causes Blaine to pull Kurt even closer to him. Which doesn't help him _at all._ Because now, Kurt can't help but smell that scent that is just Blaine, that smell washes over him and he fights back the instinct to press his nose in and just inhale. He jumps back out of Blaine's grip, trying to put some sort of distance between the two of them. 

 

"Come on, almost there," Blaine grins, and they round the corner to Kurt's rooms. The corridor was completely empty, and the door was right there. So close, he just needs to get past that door and he'll get out of the danger area. And then he stumbles again, right into Blaine, who wraps both arms around Kurt so they don't both go falling to the ground. 

 

"You are so much more than just a little drunk," Blaine laughs, looking up at Kurt. From this distance, their height difference seems so much more pronounced. Kurt is clearly several inches taller than Blaine, and he's never noticed this, but he has freckles on his nose. Just a couple, right over the bridge, spots just a little darker than his skin. Kurt stands there, in his grip, and before he can think, his eyes trail down to Blaine's lips. Soft, plump, pink lips that have just a little bit of moisture on them. 

 

And then he leans down, pressing his own lips against Blaine's. Kurt feels the inhale of breath Blaine takes at Kurt's sudden kiss, and then his lips are moving against Kurt's. Blaine gently coaxes his mouth open, and Kurt moans at the first touch of Blaine's tongue against his. Kurt presses back just as hard as Blaine kisses him, and he feels them take several steps back so that Blaine's back hits the wall, their lips still connected. Kurt presses his body tight against Blaine, feeling Blaine reach around and grab his shoulders, pressing him impossibly closer. Blaine tilts his head back as Kurt starts kissing down his neck, just like he wanted to do earlier. He can feel the moan Blaine lets out, feel how his body is responding to Kurt, and Kurt can feel his own body responding in the same way. 

 

Then he remembers he shouldn't be doing this. He practically rips himself away from Blaine, panting. He looks at Blaine leaning against the wall, his own breathing heavy as he looks at Kurt with dark, wide eyes. 

 

"I shouldn't have done that," Kurt states, and he quickly turns and nearly runs into his room, closing the door needing something solid in between him and Blaine. He leans back against the door, closing his eyes shut. He can't believe he just did that, he _shouldn't_ have done that. Because right now all he's thinking about is going back out there and dragging Blaine into his room, pushing him down on his bed and--no. He can't think about that.

 

He moves to his nightstand, grabbing the water his servants always keep there for him and chugging it. He tries to dilute the alcohol in his system and seriously debates trying to lock his door because he's _this_ close to finding Blaine and resuming where they left off. It's too hot, so he rips off his clothes, leaving him in his under shorts. He walks over to his window and opens it, the night air cooling him off and giving him much needed relief. He walks back towards his bed, forcing himself in and trying to get some sleep. 

 

He wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache, dry mouth, and overwhelming feelings of regret. He momentarily wishes he had been drunk enough last night to forget everything that happened, but he remembers every single detail. He remembers what Blaine's lips felt like, what kind of sounds he made as he gently nipped the skin of his neck. He remember how he felt against him, how badly he had wanted to drag him into his rooms last night. He groans as the memories continue to assault him, and they keep coming as he gets out of bed and gets dressed. So he does the cowardly thing and completely avoids the training grounds. 

 

He instead goes to the throne room with his father, pretending to be interested in the affairs of the state that he knows bores his dad. He pretends like he's interested in learning more, playing it off like he'll need this skill when he becomes king so why not start learning it now? His dad clearly sees through him, but he doesn't know the real reason he's using this as a distraction, so he lets Kurt stay in the room while he talks about the grain storage. 

 

Kurt manages to avoid Blaine for five days. Five long days of seeing him walking down the hall and immediately turning the other direction. Blaine seems to be actively trying to seek Kurt out, who continues being cowardly and avoids the training grounds and the other knights like the plague. 

 

But Blaine eventually catches Kurt unsuspecting, and he's walking in the castle when he's suddenly grabbed and pulled into an empty room. He nearly punches the guy's face before he recognizes Blaine, and just manages to stop his fist from connecting with his cheek. 

 

"Blaine? What the hell?" Kurt whispers, and Blaine narrows his eyes. 

 

"Don't give me that, Kurt. You know damn well why I pulled you in here," Blaine hisses back. Kurt tries to put a confused look on his face. 

 

"What do you mean?" Kurt asks, trying to make it sound like he doesn't remember what happened five days ago. Blaine glares at him, seeing right through him. 

 

"Don't give me that shit, Kurt. You were drunk but not that drunk," Blaine states unimpressed, "now why are you avoiding me?" Blaine asks. 

 

"I thought it was obvious," Kurt snaps. Blaine stares back, that same unimpressed look on his face. 

 

"Because we kissed? You were drunk, I know you don't like guys. I'm not going to hold it over your head," Blaine states, and Kurt bursts out laughing. 

 

"Oh my god, you think that's why I'm avoiding you? Because I'm embarrassed about kissing a guy? God, you have to be one of the most oblivious guys ever. I'm like you," Kurt states. Blaine looks at him shocked, as if it never occurred to him that Kurt liked guys and that's why he practically stuck his tongue down Blaine's throat that night. 

 

"Then why are you avoiding me?" Blaine asks. 

 

"Because I can't let that happen again," Kurt says abruptly. Blaine looks at him shocked again, and Kurt sighs. 

 

"I'm the Prince, and I've been engaged to Rachel since I was born. I have to marry her, I can't let myself do what I want," Kurt explains. Blaine steps closer, and despite Kurt needing some space between them so he doesn't do anything stupid, he stays still and watches Blaine look up at him. 

 

"And what do you want?" He asks. Kurt can't help himself, looking down at his lips that he swears he can still feel against his own, even after five days. He watches as Blaine swallows, following the movement of his throat. 

 

"Stop that," Kurt pushes himself away from Blaine before he does something stupid like kiss him _again._ "What part of _I can't_ don't you understand, Blaine? As much as I might want to, I can't let myself be with you," Kurt states, pulling open the door and walking away. It's only once he gets back to his room does he let himself breathe again. He doesn't understand how he managed to pull himself away, and part of him wishes that he hadn't. He thinks back to what he told Rachel, that if they were just regular people, none of this would be happening. He wouldn't be having to force himself away from Blaine, who obviously wants him back. He would be able to let Rachel go on to marry another, find love that she deserves too. Because while she said he deserved someone to love so does she. 

 

The next day, he can't force himself through another day in that throne room. He'll get enough of state affairs when he's king, he just can't put himself through that torture. Besides, now that Blaine obviously knows nothing can happen between them, he should be safe training with the knights. He could use a good sparing session, with all the pent up energy he has inside him. 

 

So he heads down to the training grounds, giving some excuse to the knights that his father needed him for the past couple days, and that's why he wasn't there these past five days. He even manages to avoid Blaine's gaze for the first half of the morning, proud of himself for being strong. 

 

And then of course it got hot. And when it gets hot, the knights tend to take their shirts off. Which was exactly what happened. One by one, the knights took their shirts off as they continued training with each other, and then Kurt couldn't avoid it if he tried. Across the grounds, he saw Blaine fighting with Finn again, both of them were shirtless. And part of Kurt recognizes the fact Blaine's teaching Finn the same exact move he taught Kurt, but most of his brain is stuck on the fact that Blaine was shirtless. And his eyes followed the lines of muscle, followed the droplets of sweat that rolled down his well defined body, and he couldn't stay there any longer. 

 

Then of course Blaine had to look up and see Kurt staring. With a smirk, he continued teaching Finn, but now he was obviously showing off. He tensed his muscles more than he needed to, he moved to put his back to Kurt more than necessary, clearly showing off the well shaped curve of his ass. And fuck it, Kurt stood there and watched the whole damn show like a man eyeing a glass of water as he died of thirst. Kurt's honestly surprised no one noticed him staring at Blaine, because he stood there for probably five minutes doing nothing but watch Blaine's display. 

 

Eventually, someone says his name, and Kurt forces himself to look away. But it's Mike, and he's also calling over Finn and Blaine. Mike wants to move to the archery range, and Kurt agrees but with the way his mind is trailing to Blaine standing so close to him he probably shouldn't be around any projectiles. But he agrees, like the idiot he is. 

 

They pair off, and of course Kurt is paired with Blaine, because the universe hates him. That or it thinks he's much stronger than he thinks he is because he's this close to snapping and dragging Blaine away, impending marriage be damned. He manages to tune Blaine out for the most part, doing his best to focus on the dummies in front of him, but Blaine doesn't make it easy. He continues to stand closer than he needs, using any excuse just to touch him. Blaine continually touches Kurt, brushing a hand against his shoulder, his waist, he even manages to get right behind him because _has a technique Kurt that I think would help you out._ Kurt somehow stays still as Blaine gets right up behind him and adjusts his arm, which both of them knew was already perfectly aligned. 

 

"There, try that," Blaine whispers, his breath washing over his neck and it takes everything in Kurt not to shiver. He lets the arrow fly, actually surprised when it hits the target heart perfectly. He avoids Blaine's gaze, instead turning to watch as Finn takes his shot. As he stands behind Finn and Mike, Blaine walks towards him. Kurt glares at him, but Blaine just smiles innocently. 

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Kurt whispers to him. 

 

"I don't know what you mean," Blaine whispers back, his innocent smile morphing into a knowing smirk when he trails a hand down Kurt's back, hidden from view. Kurt jumps, unable to hide his shiver this time, and Blaine doesn't even hide his grin. 

 

"I have to go," Kurt announces, knowing that if he stays he'll eventually end up either yelling at Blaine or kissing him. Finn and Mike look back at him, confused about his sudden announcement. 

 

"I completely forgot that I had something my father needed me to do," Kurt makes up the excuse off the top of his head, and he quickly puts his bow back and pretty much sprints to the castle. Once he's a safe distance away from the training grounds, he leans up against the wall of the castle, closing his eyes. 

 

"Do you need any help with that _thing_ you need to do for your father?" Of course it's him, because the universe **hates** him. Kurt opens his eyes to see Blaine walking up, grinning. Kurt grabs his wrist and pulls him towards a secluded corner, where he's pretty sure nobody will be able to see them. 

 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kurt demands again. 

 

"I don't know what you mean," Blaine repeats, fluttering his eyelashes in what would have been a completely innocent look if he didn't know better. 

 

"Cut the crap, Blaine," Kurt snaps. 

 

"Are you seriously going to deny the truth to yourself just because you're supposed to marry Rachel?" Blaine asks. 

 

"I have to, for the good of _both_ of our kingdoms," Kurt replies. 

 

"So you're going to deny yourself in a loveless marriage for your entire life?" Blaine asks. Kurt narrows his eyes in anger at him. 

 

"I have to, for the good of our kingdoms, I have to," Kurt continues glaring at Blaine, who doesn't back down. 

 

"How is having a Prince and later a King who's unhappy good for either of our kingdoms?" Blaine asks. 

 

"Blaine, look around! Most of the marriages of nobility is loveless. We don't get the luxury of falling in love. Your Kings are one of the only exceptions," Kurt states. Blaine continues to step closer, and as he reaches a hand up to cup his cheek, Kurt knows he needs to push Blaine away, to get some space in between them. But he doesn't, he lets Blaine hold his warm hand against his cheek. 

 

"You don't deserve that, Kurt. You don't deserve to suffer," he whispers, and then Blaine leans in and is kissing him. Kurt gasps at the feeling of Blaine's lips suddenly on his once again, and he reaches up to push him away. But instead of shoving at his chest he's pulling at his shoulders, pulling him closer and he opens his mouth to Blaine's onslaught. Blaine presses closer and it's like a reversal of their first kiss, Blaine's the aggressor this time. And Kurt is gloriously not drunk, so instead of tasting the wine, all Kurt tastes on Blaine's lips is Blaine. Kurt pulls Blaine impossibly closer, feeling Blaine step forward so their bodies are pressed flush against one another. He bites back a moan at the feeling of Blaine's strong body against his, instead pressing his lips harder against Blaine's, trying to feel every single inch of him against his body. 

 

A throat clearing behind them causes reality to crash back into them. They jump apart, and Kurt feels his cheeks flush bright red as he looks behind Blaine to whoever now knows their secret. 

 

Standing there with her arms crossed over her cheeks, and a joyful smile on her face, is Rachel. She grins widely, looking back and forth between the two of them. 

 

"Well this is an interesting development," she states, and Kurt struggles to think of some kind of explanation, for himself and for Rachel. 

 

"Not that I can say I'm surprised," she continues. Kurt turns back towards Blaine, who's still staring at him. 

 

"This can't happen again," Kurt tells him. Blaine smiles, despite the fact that Kurt's serious this time. 

 

"You said that last time," he says. Rachel moves her head back and forth from Kurt, obviously lost. 

 

"Wait, this isn't the first time?" Rachel asks. Kurt ignores her in favor of trying to get Blaine to understand that this can't happen any more. 

 

"I'm serious, Blaine. If Rachel and I are ever going to rule our two kingdoms without issue, we need to at least pretend like our marriage is strong. Because I know there's opposition in my kingdom about Rachel becoming their Queen, and I'm sure there's some in your kingdom that oppose me being King. Monarchs normally don't marry someone who will rule another kingdom, and with the shaky history between our kingdoms, anything is enough to spark disagreement, especially if we lie to them," he looks back and forth between Blaine and Rachel, who he already knows understands at least some of his reasoning. However, Rachel steps forward, causing both of them to look over at her. 

 

"But Kurt, do you really expect us to look away from the possibility of love that we could never get from each other? We can figure out a way, without revealing the lack of attraction in our marriage. I can help you two, it's not like you'd be sneaking around behind my back," Rachel proposes. Kurt sighs, and his mind can't help but want to agree to Rachel's plan. It would help with Rachel knowing, she could provide alibis if someone would ever ask where Kurt was if he was with Blaine. And hopefully, in the future, if she ever found someone she would love, he could help her be with him as well. 

 

"It couldn't work," Kurt says softly, "someone would find out. Maybe not now, maybe not even in a year, or ten, but someone would find out." Rachel walks forward, looking at him with disbelief. Kurt purposely avoids Blaine's gaze, knowing if he looked at him, he'd find himself caving in to this impossible plan. 

 

"Kurt, are you really willing to put the possibility that someone _may_ find out above you being happy with someone you could be with in the ways you can't with me?" Rachel asks. Kurt takes a deep breath, feeling his stomach weigh heavier as he finally looks over at Blaine. Blaine is looking at him with an expression that could only be described as pleading. Pleading with Kurt not to give up on what could be between them because it's hard, because even though they couldn't be open about it they would be together and that would be all that mattered. And for a second, Kurt allows himself to think about it. Kurt allows himself to imagine a future in which Blaine is around. It wouldn't even be questioned, with how open Rachel is about her friendship with Blaine is. If anything, any rumors surrounding Blaine would probably relate to Rachel, Kurt knows there's already some floating around the court. But he can't. 

 

"I wish we could, Rachel," Kurt reaches up and holds Blaine's cheek, much like he just did to Kurt. "But we can't think about ourselves, we have to think about what's best for our kingdoms. If they learned we lied to them, it would destroy them," Kurt looks up at Blaine even though he's talking to Rachel. Blaine reaches his hand up and cups the back of Kurt's hand. 

 

"Kurt, please don't do this. Don't say no, I'm begging you. Don't turn your back on what we could be together," Blaine whispers. Kurt feels tears in his eyes as he hears Blaine, but he takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he does so. He opens his eyes and takes another shaky breath. 

 

"I don't want to," he admits, "I wish I didn't have to. But one of us has to be strong, one of us has to think about the fact that this is greater than just the two of us. Our decisions effect two kingdoms, and if I have to do this, I'll do this. I'll break both of our hearts," Kurt whispers, watching as Blaine's eyes tear up, and then one single tear falls from his eyes. He pulls himself away from him, walking past Rachel, who watches him with stunned eyes. He walks up to the castle, forcing himself to hold his head tall, not letting himself show weakness until he's in the safety of his room. 

 

He closes the door, reaches for the nearest object he can reach and throws it hard against the opposite wall. The bowl from breakfast hits the wall with a thump and falls to the ground, and Kurt reaches for the next object and throws, keeps throwing until he finally picks up a piece of glass and hears it shatter. He falls to the ground and finally lets himself cry. For the first time in his life, he hates being a Prince. Because if he wasn't a Prince, he wouldn't be having this issue. Even if he was still a noble, if he was a Duke or a Baron or a Lord, he wouldn't be having this problem. The fate of an entire kingdom wouldn't rest on his shoulders, his decisions wouldn't influence the lives of hundreds, and most gloriously, he could be himself without any fear of repercussion. He could be open about who he was like Blaine, could tell his father and he wouldn't have to worry about things like how would the kingdom react? He wouldn't have to worry about the fact that he was supposed to marry the princess of their neighboring country and him being gay throws that entire treaty into danger. 

 

For the first time in his life, he hates himself. Even when he was struggling with his sexuality he never hated himself like this. He knew his life would be so much easier if he was straight, but in all that time wrestling with the fact that he liked boys he never hated himself with ever fiber of his being. 

 

The next day, he doesn't get out of bed. He lays there, the mess of broken glass remains in the corner until his father sends somebody to check on him. He sends the servant back with a message he feels sick, which is true. He feels sick to his stomach every minute that passes, every time he closes his eyes and he sees the heartbreak on Blaine's face when he did what had to be done. 

 

But despite what's happening in his mind, time goes on. The next day Kurt can't hide away in bed the entire day, but he can't go to the training grounds. He can't face Blaine. So he asks his father if he could continue his lessons with his tutor, something he hasn't done for a while with the upcoming wedding. His father agrees, and he sits in the same room listening to his tutor drone on and on about astronomy, a skill his father seems to think that he needs. 

 

But it keeps him from thinking about Blaine, thinking about Blaine and what might have been. 

 

He also avoids Rachel, who does her own fair share of avoiding him. He doesn't know what Rachel might be thinking, but he knows that by denying himself Blaine, he's denying Rachel the opportunity of love too. Because he knows Rachel knows that what he said is true. He knows Rachel cares just as deeply for her kingdom as Kurt feels for his, and she knows Kurt's right. She knows that if their kingdoms discovered they lied to them, it would destroy whatever peace their fathers created in the wake of their war. 

 

So before he knows it, summer is close to ending and Kurt's faced with the realization that with each passing day, his wedding day comes closer. The first day of fall would also be the day of his wedding, and he watches the castle go crazy getting ready. It seems that everybody is excited except for him, and he spends every day exhausted. He's exhausted from trying to force himself to pretend to be happy. He's exhausted from forcing himself to be somebody he's not. 

 

The day before his wedding, his father asks him into the throne room. Kurt lets himself in, walking over to his father sitting in the empty room. 

 

"How are you feeling son?" His dad asks. Kurt looks up, wondering how his father doesn't see the dark bags under his eyes? The way his body seems slumped with the weight of the knowledge he's about to enter into a lifetime of unhappiness?

 

"Fine," he says, the same lie he seems to think he's said for the entire three months of summer. His father nods like he understands, and Kurt wants to ask in what universe does his father understand anything about what he could be feeling? 

 

"You nervous? I remember my wedding day to your mother, I was terrified," his father laughs as he obviously thinks back to when he married his mother. He wonders what his mom would say now if she was alive. Would she recognize her son's unhappiness? Or would she mistake his exhaustion as nerves like his father seems to be doing? 

 

"Yeah, I guess," Kurt states. His father looks at him curiously, but whatever he might have said, he keeps it to himself. So Kurt asks to be excused on the pretense that he should get some sleep before the big day. His father agrees, and Kurt walks towards his bedroom. 

 

He wakes up the next morning with trepidation. After today, there's no going back. There can't be any regrets, because if anybody found out about Kurt, he's sure that the careful peace his father worked so hard to create would crumble. 

 

So Kurt asks for his breakfast in his rooms again, even though he was supposed to eat with his father and Rachel's fathers as well. The Kings arrived just two days ago for their daughter's wedding, and Kurt heard that they were ecstatic to see their little girl getting married. He wonders if they would still be happy if they found out he would never be able to love her like they wish. 

 

He hears his door open, but his back is to it. He grabs his shirt and tells the servant to set the food on the table. He hears the food being set down, and Kurt finishes changing. He turns around, and his breath seems to leave him in a second. Because Blaine stood there, who he hadn't seen for nearly three months as he tried to force himself unsuccessfully to get over him. 

 

He avoided the knights as much as possible these last few months, refusing to even go near the training center on the possibility he would run into Blaine. Of course, he's caught glimpses of him throughout the castle, it was impossible not to. But whenever he'd see him, Kurt would run as fast as possible the opposite way. It was too painful to see him, and it was painful now. Seeing him standing there bring up every single emotion he's tried his hardest to suppress, emotions he's tried his hardest not to feel because acknowledging them was just too painful. 

 

"Blaine," he whispers, stepping forwards even though it physically hurts to see him and know that he can't let himself be with him in any of the ways he wants to. Blaine stood there in all his knightly glory, wearing his coat of arms proudly. Kurt watches as Blaine steps closer to him, and nothing could stop Kurt from wanting to reach out and touch him with ever fiber of his being. 

 

"What are you doing here?" Kurt asks, whispering softly because it almost hurts to see him and know that he can never have him. 

 

"I had to see you," he answers. 

 

"You'll see me later, at the wedding," Kurt states. He watches as Blaine's face twists in disgust, and it completely surprises him when Blaine suddenly moves forwards. 

 

"I had to see you before I knew it was too late," he's saying as he strides forwards. And Kurt can't give any response to that because Blaine kisses him harshly. Blaine's kiss reveals all the anger and frustration he feels at their situation, and Kurt kisses him back just as hard. He feels himself pulling Blaine closer, trying to convince himself that this is it. This is the last time he'll let himself do this, that he'll be able to give himself over to Blaine like this. 

 

Blaine presses forward harder, and Kurt feels himself walking backwards until his knees his the edge of his bed and he tumbles back, his lips disconnecting with Blaine momentarily. But Blaine is moving closer, pressing closer and his lips connect with his again. Kurt reaches for his belt and pulls it off, tossing it to the floor as their lips continue to connect angrily, their tongues dancing together in a way that could only be described as wanting. Because Kurt _wants_ Blaine with everything he has. And if Blaine has any objections he's not voicing them, instead he reaches for his chainmail and pulls it off in a hurry, tossing it away and moving back to Kurt. 

 

They frantically pull each other's clothes off, hands reaching to every piece of exposed skin and feeling, holding, trying to memorize because they both know this will be their only chance to ever be together. And Kurt knows it's going to make marrying Rachel even harder but he can't live without ever being with Blaine like this. He can't go throughout his life with stolen glances, never knowing how it felt to be held like this, with such passion. 

 

Their clothes scatter the ground as Kurt pulls Blaine as close as he can physically be, crying out with each movement Blaine makes. Sweat drips off both their skin but neither care, their as close as physically possible but it's not close enough. Kurt cries out Blaine's name over and over, tears in his eyes at how perfect it is. Which was probably the cruelest thing of all, because how could something so perfect be so wrong? 

 

Laying in Kurt's bed afterwards, Kurt knows he should feels some sort of remorse. After all, in a weird way, he was just unfaithful to Rachel. But he can't feel regret because he's actually happy. For the first time in three months he doesn't feel exhaustion. He doesn't hate being a Prince, because in Blaine's arms he's not a Prince. He's a regular person, he's just Kurt. There isn't a Rachel, there isn't a kingdom, it's just Kurt and Blaine laying in bed enjoying the aftermath of their passion. 

 

"I love you," Kurt whispers. Blaine tightens his arms around Kurt, leaning above him and kissing him passionately. 

 

"I love you too," Blaine whispers back, leaning down and kissing him again. The two of them continue kissing lazily, letting their lips gently slide against one another as they wonder how could they fit together so perfectly? 

 

Then the world comes crashing down, because his door opens. Kurt scrambles to make sure both Blaine and him are covered as his father enters the room, whatever he was saying dies on his lips as he sees the scene in front of him. Kurt and Blaine laying in his bed, their clothes strewn carelessly around the floor. 

 

"I knew you were hiding something, but I definitely did not expect this," his father states. Kurt searches for something he can use to cover himself so he could stand up, be on equal footing with his father as he tries to explain himself. 

 

"Dad, I--"

 

"I need a minute, Kurt," his dad interrupts him, and then he turns and walks out his door. Kurt looks over at Blaine, both of them staring at each other speechless. Kurt quickly stands up and gathers his clothes, knowing that he needs to go talk to his dad. Because what just happened between him and Blaine didn't help him get over him at all, if anything, it just makes it that much more difficult to go into his future knowing he could have this. He could have everything Blaine's offering and it would be so easy, except nothing has changed. Kurt is still the Prince who has to think of the good of his kingdom, and what will be his kingdoms in several hours. 

 

"Kurt, wait!" Blaine calls out from his bed, but Kurt is running after his father, who's completely disappeared. He searches around for his father, running past servants who are quickly throwing up last minute details for the wedding. 

 

He finally finds his father in his throne room, the first place he probably should have looked if he's honest. 

 

"Dad," he says as he runs in. His dad turns around, and Kurt doesn't know what he should say after that. 

 

"Kurt, why didn't you tell me?" His dad asks. "Did you think I wouldn't love you anymore knowing that you're gay?" Kurt wants to cry at the look of betrayal his dad gives him, betrayal he feels at the fact that his son could possibly even think he wouldn't love him. 

 

"It wasn't that, Dad. I promise," Kurt quickly states. "I knew that me being gay couldn't happen. I know I need to marry Rachel, and that our marriage has to be strong in order to convince each other's kingdoms that we can rule together." He tries to get his dad to understand his reasoning for hiding his sexuality from him. 

 

"You really think that I would have made you marry Rachel knowing you two would have been unhappy together?" His dad asks. Kurt looks at him, shocked. 

 

"You wouldn't have?"

 

"No, I wouldn't have!" His father loudly says. "You're my son, and while I knew you might not have loved Rachel at the moment, I figured you'd eventually fall in love with each other. It's what happened with your mother and I. But if I had known there was never a possibility you would have been able to love her, I would have found a way so that you could marry someone you at least had a chance of loving," he explains. Kurt takes a step back in absolute shock. All the ways he thought his father would have reacted, this is nowhere close to the top of the list. 

 

"Kurt, you should have told me how you felt," his father walks over to him and lays a hand on his shoulder, the heavy weight of it reminding Kurt of how completely wrong he's been. 

 

"But what about the marriage? The treaty?" Kurt asks. His father sighs, looking deep in thought before answering. 

 

"That's something that we'll need to talk with the Berrys about. Let me ask the Kings to come here," his father states. He call in a servant, instructing him to summon King LeRoy and King Hiram quickly. Which he's finding the Kings, Kurt turns to his father. 

 

"How long have you known you were gay?" His dad asks. Kurt looks down at the ground, sighing deeply. 

 

"I first started realizing it about thirteen," he says. His dad looks at him, shocked. 

 

"Thirteen? Seven years you've known and you didn't think you could tell me?" Kurt continues to look down, feeling the shame build up in him when he hears the hurt in his father's voice. 

 

"I was scared," Kurt admits, "scared that you would look at me differently when you realized. And when I realized that I was being stupid, I just found new reasons to be scared. Especially as I got older and it got closer to the time I would have to marry Rachel." Whatever his father was going to say next, is interrupted by the Kings entering the room. 

 

"Ah, Kurt! How are you doing? You ready to marry our little girl?" King LeRoy says loudly. Kurt manages to keep his face neutral, not knowing what his father is going to say. 

 

"King LeRoy, King Hiram, Kurt will not be marrying Rachel today," his father states. Both the Kings look at his dad with shock, but Kurt's glad to see there is not anger, just shock and confusion. 

 

"What do you mean, Burt?" LeRoy asks. Kurt sees his dad look at him, and so he looks at the Kings, knowing that they of all people will understand being unable to love a woman. 

 

"I would never be able to love Rachel the way she deserves," he starts, the Kings look at him confused, so Kurt continues. "She deserves a man who could love her, but I can't love a woman. I've tried, believe me, I've tried. But I can't, because I'm gay," Kurt says. The Kings are shocked, and both turn to Kurt. 

 

"Why did you wait until now to tell us, Kurt? You can't have thought we wouldn't understand?" King Hiram asks. 

 

"Because I figured it wouldn't make any difference. The treaty my grandfather signed specified the marriage between Rachel and I. Our Kingdoms already live in uncertain peace, and our marriage would have help ease any uncertainty," Kurt explains, looking between all three Kings in the room. Kurt turns towards King LeRoy as he lets out a loud sigh. 

 

"I think that it's very brave that Rachel and you were willing to sacrifice your potential happiness with someone you could love. And yes, we do live in a time where some people in both our kingdoms believe that peace is temporary. But I think I speak on behalf of all three of us that we know peace would continue to prosper in yours and Rachel's reigns, regardless of if you were married or not," King LeRoy states. Both King Hiram and my father agree with LeRoy's statement. 

 

"Someone should tell Rachel that her wedding has been cancelled," King Hiram speaks up, and I look at him in shock. He turns to LeRoy, continuing to speak, "and we should start looking for a potential suitor." I look over at my father, who nods his agreement. 

 

"Are you serious? It was that easy? If I had just been honest with you guys, all of this could have been avoided by you guys just saying _eh, we don't have to follow the stipulation in the treaty?"_ Kurt asks, completely flabbergasted. King LeRoy smiles as he looks over at Kurt. 

 

"Sometimes, being King has it's advantages. There will be some backlash, of course, but we value our children's happiness above anything else," he says. Kurt takes one last look at his dad, who laughs. 

 

"Go, go find that guy you were in bed with," he says. Kurt grins and hears King LeRoy exclaim his surprise, but Kurt quickly runs to his bedroom, narrowly avoiding crashing into several people who are setting up for a wedding that will never happen. Kurt runs into his bedroom, only to find it empty. He feels momentarily dejected that he had to go searching for Blaine, but Kurt immediately runs towards Rachel's rooms, curious if he went there. 

 

Kurt knocks on Rachel's door, who answers surprised. 

 

"Kurt? What are you doing here?" She asks. 

 

"Have you seen Blaine?" He asks. Rachel looks at him shocked, which he isn't surprised about. He's spent these past few months avoiding Blaine and Rachel, but after months of denying himself what he truly wants, he's ready to start indulging himself and being a little selfish. 

 

"No, he hasn't been here all morning. I'm sure you'll see him at the wedding though," Rachel states. 

 

"Haven't you heard? The wedding's cancelled!" Kurt informs her, about to run off trying to find Blaine again. 

 

"Ask your fathers!" Kurt yells over his shoulder when he hears Rachel's exclaim of shock. He continues to run through the hallways until he reaches the castle grounds, and immediately kicks himself for not thinking of the training grounds in the first place. 

 

He sprints down the hill towards the distant training grounds, where he clearly sees one figure in the archery course. As he gets closer, he can clearly see a familiar head of black curls. 

 

"So guess who's not getting married anymore?" Kurt leans against the armory wall as he speaks up, causing Blaine to jump in shock as he hadn't heard Kurt running towards him. Blaine sets his bow down next to him, turning towards him. 

 

"Are you serious?" Blaine asks. Kurt nods, and it doesn't take much longer for Blaine to quickly walk over and kiss Kurt eagerly. Kurt smiles as Blaine kisses him, giddy with happiness. He pulls back, looking at him. Blaine's face lights up, his eyes practically shining as he grins. 

 

"So, now that Rachel and I aren't marrying each other, she'll probably go back with her fathers," Kurt whispers. Blaine nods, and Kurt continues with his train of thought. "And I guess I was just wondering if her knight was going to go back with her?" He asks. Blaine smiles, leaning in to kiss Kurt's lips lightly before answering. 

 

"I'm sure if a certain prince asked, his friend wouldn't feel too bad about leaving her knight behind," Blaine grins. Kurt laughs as he leans in to kiss Blaine again. Their future may be uncertain, but Kurt knows that as long as he has his knight, Kurt won't ever be unhappy again. 

 


End file.
